Police found the bodies of three children lying side-by-side on a bed in their home Saturday after their mother said she smothered them, investigators said. Officers were sent to the southwestern Arkansas home after the father called authorities from New York saying his wife had confessed to the killings.Paula Eleazar Mendez, 43, collapsed when officers arrived and was taken to a hospital to be treated for ingesting a toxic substance, officials said. She was under guard there until she could be taken to a jail to face homicide charges, Police Chief Richard McKinley said.Notes found in the house may disclose a motive, McKinley said, though he would not elaborate.... http://www.usatoday.com

Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, there have been questions about U.S. troops' sensitivities to Islamic culture — especially when dealing with women. Now there are new questions about a tactic the military calls leveraging. For example, marines found weapons and explosives in a woman's house and wanted her to lead them to her husband. The military says this sort of intimidation is a necessary tool. But internal military documents suggest it's taken a new turn: Detaining wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of getting their husbands to surrender. "If they're being taken solely for the purpose of drawing their men out of hiding, it can even appear to look like hostage taking," said Jumana Musa of Amnesty International....http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1553869&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Iraq's top Sunni Arab political leader accused Shiite-dominated security forces Sunday of pursuing a strategy of sectarian "cleansing" in Baghdad and said he opposed giving key Cabinet posts to Shiites — a stance likely to further inflame sectarian tensions. Iraq's ceaseless violence killed at least 20 people, including 13 Iraqi policemen and soldiers, as the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants resumed on accusations of involvement in the killings of more than 140 Shiite Muslims.The trial collapsed into chaos shortly after resuming, with one defendant dragged out of court and the defense team walking out in protest. The former Iraqi leader was then escorted out after he shouted "Down with the Americans!" and refused his new court-appointed lawyers....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183114,00.html

Hopes of finding any more survivors are fading after a building collapsed in southern Poland, killing at least 65 people, rescuers said. Some 500 people were in the trade hall in Katowice for a pigeon exhibition when the roof caved in - possibly under the weight of snow - on Saturday. Among the dead and some 140 injured were Poles, Belgians and Germans. President Lech Kaczynski has announced a day of mourning for what he called a "catastrophe" unprecedented in Poland. Rescue official Leszek Suski told a news conference: "With such a low temperature the chances of finding someone alive are slim but we still have hope." A central section of the roof collapsed at 1730 local time (1630GMT). A second collapse happened more than an hour later, during rescue operations. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4659030.stm

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein walked out of court amid uproar within minutes of the resumption of his murder trial under a new presiding judge. He left in protest after his defence team walked out, and was followed by two more of his co-defendants. The walkouts came after the new chief judge, Raouf Abdul Rahman, had Saddam's half brother and co-defendant Barzan al-Tikriti removed from the courtroom. Saddam and seven others are on trial for the 1982 killing of 148 villagers. They could face the death penalty if convicted of the killings, which followed an assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein in the village of Dujail. The trial continued for some time with half of the defendants missing until the judge adjourned it until on Wednesday. The court proceedings started with the new chief judge saying that he would not tolerate any defendants making political speeches or disobeying his authority. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4659274.stm

Iraq's top Sunni Arab political leader accused Shiite-dominated security forces Sunday of pursuing a strategy of sectarian "cleansing" in Baghdad and said he opposed giving key Cabinet posts to Shiites — a stance likely to further inflame sectarian tensions. Iraq's ceaseless violence killed at least 20 people, including 13 Iraqi policemen and soldiers, as the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants resumed on accusations of involvement in the killings of more than 140 Shiite Muslims. The trial collapsed into chaos shortly after resuming, with one defendant dragged out of court and the defense team walking out in protest. The former Iraqi leader was then escorted out after he shouted "Down with the Americans!" and refused his new court-appointed lawyers. The trial will resume Wednesday the earliest...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-01-29-gun-battle_x.htm?csp=34